Alcohol encephalopathy: symptoms, treatment, prognosis and consequences of the disease

Alcoholism was not always a problem of society, which needed to be paid attention. In the period from the 16th to the 19th century, people with alcoholism were not treated and examined, but since the 20th century, this problem has been given special attention. Doctors all over the world began to apply progressive methods of treatment, to conduct research, as a result of which the interrelation of a lot of psychoneurological diseases with alcohol was discovered. One of the most negative consequences of alcoholism is the emergence and development of encephalopathy, which in turn leads to pathological processes in the brain.

What is alcoholic encephalopathy?

Alcohol encephalopathy of the brain is a disease that is associated with the death of brain cells against the background of alcohol consumption. We can say that this is a whole complex of diseases that are united by one nature of origin and the same reasons.

For alcoholic encephalopathy, there are a lot of very different symptoms, among which the most prominent are the mental disorders that develop in chronic alcoholism. As a rule, this disease manifests itself in its last stages.

Etiology and pathogenesis of the disease

The disease occurs against the background of alcoholism, which by its toxic effect leads to brain cell poisoning, so the reasons for its development are difficult to characterize by some specific mechanism.

Alcoholic encephalopathy, as well as polyneuropathy, are complex diseases. The International Classification of Diseases( ICD-10) classifies it as Class 6.

Most often in the pathogenesis of alcoholic encephalopathy there are:

• Strong exhaustion of the body against a background of a number of diseases;
• Permanent intoxication of the body with the products of alcohol metabolism, which causes cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis, digestive system problems, etc.
• Pathological changes occurring in the brain;
• The lack of vitamins, micro- and macronutrients in the body.

The defeat of the body by toxic alcoholic encephalopathy is almost always accompanied by oxidative stress. In the process of alcohol metabolism, there is a release of substances that are especially dangerous for humans - aldehydes, which poison neurons of the brain.

In addition, hereditary predisposition can play a role here. Although this can not be unequivocally stated. To a greater extent, the probability of transmission of the disease from parents to children exists only within the predisposition to alcoholism.

Clinical picture of the disease

Before the disease will make itself felt in full, the patient will have a pronounced prodromal period , the duration of which can be from several months to a year or more.

In acute disease, this period is much shorter than in chronic.

The shortest prodromal period can be two weeks and is characteristic of acute forms of alcoholic encephalopathy.

Symptoms of , noted at this stage, can manifest throughout the disease:

• Digestive system disorders( diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and malaise);
• Aversion to food, which is rich in fat and protein content;
• Strong physical exhaustion due to lack of nutrients;
• Sleep disorders. The patient often wakes up at night, often nightmarish dreams, during the day there is drowsiness and lethargy;
• Memory impairment, aggression, stupor, delirium and hallucinations;
• Neurological disorders manifest themselves, among which the following are especially noticeable: tremendous tremor of limbs, stiffness of movements, stiffness of movements;
• Rapid heart rate, increased sweating and chills.

The next stage in the development of alcoholic encephalopathy is the emergence of the of the manifest psychosis on the background of the effects of other "accompanying" diseases.

• In acute forms of the disease, the patient may experience delirious states, occasionally schizophrenic conditions. At the beginning of a manifestation of psychosis, most often, patients have scrappy, vague hallucinations, which are characterized by static and poverty. In all cases, there are symptoms of oral automatism, such as grasping reflexes, bulging lips, proboscis reflex.
• With mitigated forms of acute alcoholic encephalopathy, delirious states are not as pronounced as in the first case( manifest only at night), there are various hypochondriacal complaints from the patient.
• In the "super-fast" form of , the symptomatology is most pronounced and progresses over several days, the symptoms manifest themselves very quickly and clearly. The manifest stage in such cases proceeds instantaneously, after which the patient falls into a coma. Most often in such cases, death occurs on day 3-5 of the disease.

It would seem a simple question: Why does my legs cramp? Responding to it is not very simple, all about the causes and methods of cramping.

The cost of mexidol in ampoules can be found here, as well as read about the features of this drug.

Acute forms of alcoholic encephalopathy

Modern medicine distinguishes only one acute form of alcoholic encephalopathy, which is called Guy-Wernicke syndrome .

It manifests itself primarily as a significant deterioration in health. The time frame can be very different - some may last for months, others may have several weeks.

The patient has an increase in the number of all kinds of disorders, ranging from nervous and somatic, ending with mental disorders. There is also an aggravation of other diseases that are often present in people with alcoholism( exacerbation of hepatitis, pancreatitis, gastritis and other diseases).

Symptoms that occur in the presence of acute alcoholic encephalopathy:

• Severe weakness, shortness of breath, and arrhythmia at low loads;
• Frequent headaches, as well as pain in the limbs and the heart;
• Neurological changes are increasing. The trembling begins to appear more and more in the limbs, the movements become constrained, coordination is disturbed;
• Burning sensations in the chest, compression, and limbs may appear to the patient as "strangers" and very cold;
• Mental changes. The patient has feelings of fear, panic, frequent attacks of anxiety;
• Sleep disorders: the patient is accompanied by nightmarish dreams, unstable sleep, intermittent;
• Violation of muscle tone;
• Body temperature is often increased, increased sweating and flaking of the skin, bedsores may form;
• You can not make a voice contact;
• Stunning of consciousness, which, when worsened, passes first into a sopor, and then to a coma.

Chronic forms of alcoholic encephalopathy

There are two types of chronic forms of the disease: Korsakov's psychosis and alcoholic pseudo-paralysis.
Korsakovsky psychosis

Korsakovsky( polyneuritic) psychosis in percentage ratio is more common in women and the clinical picture with it is characterized by several obvious symptoms:

• Confabulation( false memories).The patient recalls events that never happened in reality;
• Disorientation in space;
• Amnesia. Amnestic disorders do not occur suddenly, but are determined by questioning patients. Observed as a fixative amnesia( characterized by loss of memory for current events), and retrograde amnesia( characterized by loss of memory for past events, the prescription of which can range from several weeks to several years).
• Neurological changes are present, in particular - polyneuritis of the extremities.

Alcoholic pseudo-paralysis

Alcoholic pseudo-paralysis often affects men between the ages of 40 and 50 years.
Symptomatic picture of the disease is as follows:

• Mental disorders manifest themselves as manic and delusional conditions, memory disorders are constant.
• From neurological disorders, it is necessary to distinguish tremor of the extremities and a change in the mimicry of the facial muscles. Summing up, it should be noted that at the stage of alcoholic pseudo-paralysis, the same symptoms are observed in a person as in Korsakov's psychosis, but they are less pronounced and proceed more unnoticeably.

  With proper treatment, all these disorders disappear very quickly and leave no trace. In contrast to the acute phase of alcoholic encephalopathy, which in most cases leads to death or leads to disability.

  Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of

  Given the rapid variability of the processes occurring in the body with the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the emergence of the most dangerous symptoms for the patient( acute heart failure, cerebral edema), doctors need to conduct a therapeutic intervention as early as possible and put a differential diagnosis.

  For the correct diagnosis it is necessary: ​​

  • Clarify the time of onset of the disease;
  • Find out what alcoholic beverages you used;
  • Interrogate the patient himself if he is conscious;
  • Conduct a visual examination, collect information on all the symptoms and manifestations of the disease now and earlier.
  • Conduct additional hardware studies( CT, MRI, ultrasound of cerebral vessels)
  Photo of the brain affected by alcoholic encephalopathy

  Treatment of

  In case of alcoholic encephalopathy, it is recommended to use both medicamentous and non-medicamentous treatment. It should be remembered that in acute forms of the disease must necessarily be treated with drugs, and not only with the help of traditional medicine.

  Medical treatment
  In the presence of alcoholic psychoses the same treatment is applied, as well as in severe alcohol delirium.

  Treatment of alcoholic encephalopathy should be performed systematically, for several weeks or months. It is recommended to inject intramuscularly high doses of vitamins.

  First of all, the following drugs and active substances are used for the treatment of alcoholic encephalopathy:

  • Intramuscular injections of vitamin B1 - 500 to 1500 mg, 3 times a day;Injections of vitamin B6 - from 800 to 1000 mg, 3 times a day;
  • Injections of vitamin PP - from 300 to 1000 mg, 3 times a day;
  • In case of already existing disorders of the brain, nootropic drugs( piracetam) are used;
  • Activities that are aimed at stabilizing intracranial pressure of the patient may be required.

  If the disease does not occur in acute form, then the treatment is appointed rather general therapy, aimed at general stabilization of the patient's condition.

  Unsupported brain tumor is a very dangerous disease. Causes of its occurrence and methods of treatment.

  The main symptoms of dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis: all the information can be obtained by reading the article.

  Clicking on the link http: //gidmed.com/ bolezni-nevrologii /alcogolizm/ alkogolnaya-abstinentsiya-simptomy-lechenie.html learn how to quit alcohol withdrawal.

  Treatment with folk medicine
  Treatment with folk remedies can only be carried out in conjunction with drug treatment, especially if the disease is acute.

  If we consider folk remedies that can help a person with alcoholic encephalopathy, then it can be noted that in general their list is the same as in the case of alcoholism treatment. Treatment should be aimed not at getting rid of the primary problem and removing the primary symptoms, but for a deep and full treatment of the underlying cause - alcoholism.

  You can use thyme, oleander, lovage, wormwood, bay leaf, lemon, hawthorn, sea buckthorn and others. Some of them help develop a strong aversion to alcohol, while others are aimed at maintaining the body during the recovery period.

  Do not forget that before using you should always consult a doctor. Self-medication is not worth it.

  Modern approaches to the treatment of
  The treatment widely used is the use of NMDA receptor antagonists( for example, dizocilpin ).To reduce damage to neurons, a calcium channel blocker nimodipine is used, and furoside is used to prevent the development of a brain tumor.

  In addition to medications, also uses , which consists of injecting high doses of vitamin complexes into the patient.

  Prevention

  The package of preventive measures includes:

  • First of all, the refusal to drink alcohol;
  • Establish a proper diet, with sufficient vitamins;
  • Monitoring the level of sugar and insulin in the blood;
  • Monitoring the state of pressure and taking antihypertensive drugs;
  • Use of a set of social and cultural measures aimed at eradicating alcoholism;
  • Classes of wellness procedures that will help to cope with both the disease itself and its consequences. This includes physical exercises, aerobics, swimming, walking in the fresh air, etc.

  Prognosis and consequences of the disease

  Forecasts regarding the further course of the disease and possible recovery directly depend on the clinical picture of the disease.

  Acute forms of the disease, as a rule, do not pass without a trace: more than fifty percent of those suffering from this ailment eventually died, while others received severe complications of the disease, which significantly reduced their standard of living.

  Nevertheless, the use of the newest methods of treatment allows to achieve favorable results, but only on condition of qualified and timely started therapy.

  The effect of alcohol on the human brain and the consequences of such influence:
  https: //www.youtube.com/ watch? V = a97BliYp924
  Treating alcoholic encephalopathy and getting rid of its negative consequences is much more difficult than warning. That is why the prevention of the disease and in particular, a healthy lifestyle with the abandonment of addiction, has an important, if not decisive, meaning in this case.